Olivine Pools Trail

Olivine Pools Trail is a 0.4 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Wailuku, Hawaii that offers scenic views and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and birding and is accessible year-round.

It goes from brush wilderness to the dark side of the moon but it’s beautiful! If you enjoy balancing on rocks this is the trail for you. Some things to consider: Later in the day and on the weekend it gets a lot of traffic, and people have died here. The waves can be rogue and powerful so be careful at the far edges of the rocks. But otherwise: these pools have smooth, mossy covered rock-bottoms that are easy on the feet and the water is crystal clear. Definitely wear your swimsuit because you’re gonna want to go swimming.

Located 10 minutes east of Nakalele blowhole off Kahekili Highway. Parking lot has a yellow sign for a shave ice stand further down **. The parking lot is not paved and is very rutted (scraped coming in and out of here).
The trail head is right off the parking lot. After clearing the grassy area, there is a sign stating not to go any further, but of course that's exactly what you're going to do. Go left past this sign and the trail opens up to a spectacular view of the coast to the right and Olivine Pools to the left.
This hike to Olivine Pools is predominately rocky (sharp lava rocks and rocks that have acid erosion) but is also sandy and therefore very easy to slide even if you're wearing shoes with good traction. Sliding is inevitable so remember to be aware of what your grab to brace yourself as the rocks in this area are extremely sharp. There is not one clear trail down to the pools, but your chances of ending up in the wrong area are null.
Once at the bottom of the "trail" there is a shallow cave to the left (did not explore this), tide pools, swimming pools, and blowholes.
There are lots of tide pools teaming with fish, eels, and crabs. Take time to enjoy each pool as the animals are different in each.
There is also a few blowholes, one of which is definitely large enough to fall into and is not marked in anyway so be observant of your surroundings at all times! The blowhole sends crabs onto the lava rocks from the ocean so there are tons of crabs around. The activity is most impressive at high tide which is when i decided to video record a burst and consequently soaked my phone (strike two for the day, poor phone).
The swimming holes are warm and have at least 2 areas that are so deep you can safely dive from the lava rocks into the aquamarine water. I dove into the furthest pool and highly recommend it to anyone.
Olivine pools could easily take an entire afternoon to truly explore and enjoy. I suggest late afternoon for spectacular action from the blowholes and tides.

Olivene PoolsGreat little spot with beautiful tide pools ranging from miniature to swimming pool sized- the color of several of these has a brilliant olive/green cast in the right light- a beautiful contrast to the turquoise and indigo blues of the nearby waves and surging whitecaps.

Tide Pools come complete with maritime residents including fish and and a crew of cantankerous crabs. Come at the right time (NOT during the peak of high tide) to experience a cool (if smaller) blowhole... On weekends you will likely meet other people there, quite a few choosing to take a cool dip in the largest pool.

TIP: Although the water can be a bit cloudy, snorkel gear or goggles will allow you to get a better view of the large tide pool residents.

great short hike right off the road. pools are full of crabs and little fish. there are many little pools. there are a couple holes deep enough to take a dip. when the wind is blowing the swells crash pretty high and you can get wet. I found a small blow hole, however it doesn't blow very high.

A short walk from the highway leads you down to these saltwater pools formed from lava rock. We had beautiful sunny weather which encouraged us to take a dip. Then we walked back along the rocks toward the ocean and spotted several whales on the horizon spouting and making their way.